A Crystal at the Door, a Goblin Under the Bed
by Ginger-Snapp
Summary: Post-Labyrinth fic. Sarah is doing an excellent job of avoiding him. It doesn't help that his own goblins have turned against him. But then, Sarah has always inspired loyalty in even the darkest of places. J/S. Explores Sarah's relationship with the goblins, and the effect this has on Jareth.
1. Bats, Goblins and Crystals oh my!

A Crystal at the Door, a Goblin Under the Bed

By: Ginger_Snapp

Chapter One: Bats, Goblins and Crystals; oh my!

_All content belongs to Jim Henson. I only borrowed them for a spell. No copyright infringement intended. _

* * *

_But if you wanna leave take good care,  
hope you have a lot of nice things to wear,  
but then a lot of nice things turn bad out there._

**- Wild World by Cat Stevens**

* * *

A slender, gloved hand wound its way around the door frame, allowing its owner to glance into the room without revealing itself to its inhabitants. Seeing no one, but still hearing the staccato of frightened breathing, the figure ceased hiding and entered into the room. The atmosphere darkened as a commanding presence filled the room, pale in the moonlight of the open window. Searching for the outline of the stowaway, the monarch prowled the room until it stopped dead and locked eyes with a small, dark, and terrified creature. The other glove revealed itself, wrapped around a shiny object raised like weapon. The figure poised to strike, and the target let out a pitiful squeak.

Sarah Williams lowered the thin metallic baseball bat and flipped on the kitchen light. The night was turning out to be quite difficult without the added nuisance of an unconscious goblin to deal with. However, she kept the bat pointed threateningly at the little creature, which slightly uncurled out of its fetal position. "Another spy, are you?"

He shook his head pitifully. Sarah's eyes hardened in response. She'd dealt with enough of the King's spies and crystals to know what was going on. Her arms tensed as she raised the bat back to swinging position, and the little thing squeaked again. "Okay, okay! I is a spy for King."

She couldn't say she was surprised. On more than one occasion, she'd glimpsed a small foot out of a cupboard or heard giggles from the attic back home, and known that she was never truly alone. Karen and her dad had never really noticed, but Toby was always playing with shadows, and the number of "imaginary friends" he'd had over the years had been worrying for everyone, though for different reasons. Sarah had grown suspicious that the goblins were simply there for the occasional glance at her and the amusement of her toddler brother, and had ultimately come to the decision that they were acting on their King's order to be there. At the time she called herself paranoid, but with the entire set of cut crystal dinnerware Karen had received from her mother that year, Sarah never felt completely secure in her family home.

"I thought as much. Get out, before I whack you." Her hands tensed around the bat as the goblin coward in fear, yet he still made no movement. Its small, squashed face looked up at her sorrowfully.

"I is sorry, Lady." The little thing was attempting to win her sympathies, biting its crooked lip and even producing a few tears. It looked remarkably like Toby using his puppy-dog eyes. It wasn't going to work.

"Wont come back. I make promise."

Definitely wasn't going to work. She didn't trust him as far as she could throw him.

"Wont tell King nothin, Lady."

He was pretty small.

"Bye, Lady."

She could probably throw him quite a distance….

Sarah sighed, and the Goblin's face perked up as she put her weapon in the umbrella stand by the door. "Wait, she commanded, while the goblin pretended to still be scared. Not wanting her to changer mind, she supposed, though it could see shed given in. "If you go back now, you'll report to Jareth." The goblin shook his head emphatically, but Sarah cut him off. "Yes you will, or you'll get thrown in the bog. I know Jareth." _And I don't want him knowing me. Or the new place I'm living in. _

"…Lady?" The goblin looked up at her; the wide but dim eyes brought her back from her thoughts with a confused look.

Sarah crouched so as to be on-level with the goblin. "What's your name?"

"Grok, Lady," replied the goblin, perking up. From his features and build, alongside his name, Sarah was almost positive it was a boy. Grok's ears were long and pointy, sticking back from his head like wings so disproportionate were they to the rest of his size. Contrasting the length of his ears was the inescapable breath of his face, which was wide and rather flat. Sarah imagined him running into many flat surfaces and falling on his face often, his numerous falls broken only by the perfectly round button nose.

Sarah let out another heavy breath, thinking. "Alright, rules," she started, careful to stay away from idioms or phrases that could be misinterpreted. After all, what's said is said. She had learned a lot about direct communication from the word play and trickery she had experienced in the labyrinth. Goblins weren't exactly smart, but they were as fond of tricks and mischief as their master. "No breaking anything. Hide whenever I say. Answer any of my questions truthfully…" She attempted to think of any other mischief the goblin could cause. "Stay inside the apartment. Follow any other instructions I give you." Incase there was something she forgot. "And no more reporting to the King. If you follow those rules, you can stay with me. The Goblin King has no power here, and you'll be fine. Double cross me and I'll bog you myself."

Her last comment made him wince, and Sarah softened. She gave a small smile, though she didn't want to undo any of the emphasis she'd put on her words; neither did she want to be like his master. Grok was still for a moment, unusual for such a rambunctious creature, probably still trying to process the instructions. The dark haired woman took the opportunity to strip off her winter gear, pulling her thick cap off and shaking her hair out of its thick scrunched. Her scarf she hung by the door, for whenever she next had to brace the biting winter.

"Lady, wait! I has somten to tells you!" The little goblin tugged on the edge of her jacket, attempting to get her attention."

She looked down at him, a little surprised at him, though she wasn't really sure why. "What is it, Grok?" she asked rather absently, wondering what in the hell she was going to do with a goblin in her house. What did you feed him? She thought it would be rather like having a pet, then immediately felt ashamed for thinking of goblins as something she would own.

She removed her jacket, still thinking. Still, she was going to have to figure out somethi – "King hide crystal. To see inside housey!" Sarah's head snapped up to where Grok was pointing, her teeth locked around the tip of her glove as she stopped mid removal. Zeroing in on the glittering sphere just poking out behind her cookbooks, she dropped the glove her teeth and gave the man she knew was watching a truly cold look. When she'd forced as much of the ire she felt into her gaze as possible, Sarah moved around the island and marched up to the cabinet. She could see why he had picked this spot. It was a tall place she rarely used and could barley reach, though as she stretched she could just feel the glassy surface at her fingertips. Nudging it, she heard it roll and saw it just before it dropped off the edge, giving her time to think before she caught it in her shirt. Common sense said not to touch the thing.

In anger she put her gloves back on for protection and then transferred the crystal to her hand. Grock cowered as she did so, whether from her anger or feared retribution from Jareth, she did not know. Carefully she wrapped the crystal in her scarf, blinding the man behind the glassy window. Without putting on any of her other winter items, she stormed out and slammed the door behind her. Four flights of squeaky, metallic stairs later, Sarah was both level and fuming. With purpose, her stride took her down the sidewalk away from the other buildings.

Sarah had been expecting this. The goblins in her family house were numerous, and the crystal chandelier, goblets, and wind chimes were a constant reminder that she was being watched. There was no reason not to expect that they would do the same to her new house. However, she was hoping that her first year of college had thrown them off the scent. No goblin or crystal had seen her, besides her visits home, in quite a while, and the window in her dorm had remained quite owl free. She had expected them to find her eventually; however, she wasn't expecting it quite so soon. She'd liked her private life, the past few weeks of no room mate, not goblins, and definitely no crystals had been very relaxing. Realizing that all of that had been an illusion made her angry, angrier than she'd been in a while. Arriving at the edge of the sidewalk to where the complex dumpster was, Sarah glanced around, checking for any street signs or markers that would give an indication of her location. Finding none, she unwrapped the scarf, peering into it only to find her reflection staring back at her with fuming eyes.

"Hear this Goblin King," she yelled to the peach sized sphere in her hand. "Stay out of my world, stay out of my house, and stay out of my life!" With that, Sarah raised the crystal and threw it onto the asphalt where it shattered with a satisfying crash. Shard of glass went everywhere, glinting in the moonlight.

Drunk with the power and anger coursing through her, she spat at the remains to the crystal, and then marched back to the apartment, attempting to turn her thoughts towards her adopted straw and away from the interference of the Goblin King.

* * *

_Alright, more in depth than I planned, and not nearly as light as I wanted. I know we've seen a million of these "Sarah realizes that Jareth is watching her" stories, but I plan to focus mine more on the goblins in her life than on Jareth. I promise it will become much fluffier! Can't say how far this will go, but at least two more chapters, I should think, and then a series of one-shots to follow. _

_P.S. I'm in the market for a beta, if anyone cares. You probably noticed form this story. I plan on working on a lot of fandoms, but right now its just Labyrinth and Moonrise Kingdom. Contact me!_

_Reviewing reminds me to finish stuff. If I don't post just review with the length of time it's been, and it will guilt me into it. Do it several times, if need be. Love Ginger._


	2. It's a Hard Knock Life

A Crystal at the Door, a Goblin Under the Bed

By: Ginger_Snapp

Chapter Two: It's a Hard Knock Life

_All content belongs to Jim Henson. I only borrowed them for a spell. No copyright infringement intended._

* * *

_How about lettin' me be?  
I ain't gonna feed you,  
Ain't got a scrap for you.  
Need you?  
Don't give me a rap for you._

** - "Dumb Dog" from _Annie_**

* * *

The bitter cold (for she had not put on her jacket or her hat) and her second trip up the steep stairway allowed for Sarah to get a grip on her temper and calm down a bit. She'd known it was to happen, and despite the unfairness of it all, there was no sense in getting worked up about it now. Not with an unsure goblin in the house, anyway.

She had no idea how Grok would react to a lack of affection to his master, but Sarah did not want the King or his lackeys finding out her location, and thus wanted to keep her new charge happy.

The door swung open a second time, and Sarah rushed into the kitchen, hopping to find Grok exactly where she'd left him. Sighing at her naïvety and the empty room, she removed her gloves and scarf once again and went off in search of the little creature, hoping none of her rules – or her furniture – had been broken yet.

There was a small chatter of sound coming from the sitting which spelled despair for Sarah. Her knickknacks and keep-sakes had gotten smaller over the years, but the few items that remained had been given special, if seemingly innocuous, positions throughout the house, centering in on the living room. Bracing her self, she left the freezing kitchen and moved towards the noise.

Her tiny apartment barely had room for the moth-eaten couch, musty loveseat, and small television she had crammed in there. The television she had was a minuscule thing that could have come out of the late sixties or early seventies. She must have left it on this morning or last night, because it showed several people, colors muted and voices fuzzy, dancing away on-screen.

From her vantage point behind the couch, Sarah could just see two very long, pointy ears sticking up from the back of the couch. The lights were off, most likely because a goblin would be unable to reach the switch near the door, though that had not stopped him from reaching the food in her cabinets, she realized as she came around the side of the sofa.

There was Grok, sitting with rapt attention. The only movement from his small body was the hand he had shoved down in a family sized box of Captain Crunch to deliver the pellets to his mouth with fervor. The wide, flat eyes reflected the actors on the screen.

"Grok?"

Grok didn't look up, but waved a fistful of cereal at the screen to indicate his wonderment with the program. Sarah gave a small chuckle as he put the cereal inside his mouth, fist and all. The poor manners were oddly endearing, for now at least. She was expecting him to ask how they got inside the box, or to marvel at the magic of he appliance, yet no inquiry was forthcoming. Grok simply continued to gaze attentively at the screen. Belatedly, Sarah realized that goblins had been living in her own home for years, which had televisions much nicer and larger than her own.

So if it wasn't the technology that had such a rambunctious creature sitting so still, it must have been the program.

The resident human went to the other side of the couch and sat down, grabbing a pillow to hug as she focused her attentions to the screen. The picture showed a child with large amounts of pink (in a regular television, Sarah remembered, it would have been red) curly hair tap-dancing across the screen. Aileen Quinn, to whom the rose-colored afro belonged, was in the final stages of the oh-so-famous number. She remembered this one from her childhood – at that point in her life, Sarah had taken an interest in anything that dealt with the awfulness of guardians and the unfairness of life. Annie had never been one of her favorites, but then, the main character's outlook on life was so different from the whining, bratty girl who had watched it all those years ago.

"Thank you, Grok, for showing me the crystal. It was very kind of you," Sarah tried, attempting to break the spell a simple screen had over the little creature. Though, in all seriousness, she was truly thankful he had pointed it out.

The points of his tremendous ears smashed against the cushions, so vigorous was his nod, but Grok didn't take his eyes off the screen.

She tried again. "Are you hungry?"

He merely waved another fistful of cereal grains (three pellets were the most that could fit in his spindly little hand) before shoving it into his mouth. Sarah made a mental note to pick up more cereal.

Finally, she stood and went about her business as usual, unsure of what else to do. _Besides_, she thought defiantly, _Jareth and his goblins wont scare me off life. _So, she did normal things – she sorted her mail, sent a few emails, called Karen and left a message agreeing to the family vacation, etc.

She found herself sipping a mug go tea and looking at the shelf where the crystal had once been. Every instinct in her screamed to search the flat, just in case, but she was unsure whether that would be the smartest thing to do, or was merely another example of her paranoia, allowing the Goblin King to continue to rule her life.

She could always decide tomorrow. One more day with a few hidden crystals wasn't going to kill her. Probably. Well, depending on how mad the king would be at her earlier actions.

Exhausted, Sarah slumped down on the couch next to Grok and proceeded to watch as the orphanage director and her accomplices attempted to throw little orphan Annie off a bridge. A small part of her brain attempted to make a connection between the orphan and the goblin, living in fear of the bog; yet she was disinclined to think of herself as the balding millionaire who adopts the poor soul. That was taking a bit too much credit.

The odd pair watched as Eleanor Roosevelt partied with orphans and millionaires. Sarah had moved on from sneaking her hand into the box of cereal to full-out moving Grok so as the box could be closer to her mouth.

Grok had barely spoken three sentences all day, and even while wondering if this was common for goblins, Sarah was glad they could rest in a companionable silence. She even pulled a knit blanket down on top of them as her eyes got heavier.

The dark-haired woman fell asleep and the squat little goblin curled in closer to her, the television moving onto a different program. Cereal spilled across the pair as a light snoring reverberated in the room and the reflection of a masterpiece classic glinted in the crystal on the shelf.

* * *

_I have to admit, I don't like this chapter either. This is not at all how I planned on doing this. I think I'll do a few more chapters to see if it goes where I want it to, and if not I might just scrap the projects and go back to the goblin one-shot ideas. This story was supposed to set up the world for those one-shots to exist, but I don't really like reading it. Either way, fluffy one-shots will emerge eventually._

_Please leave feedback, so I know whether to continue or not. This isn't one of those "Review or I wont post!" stand-offs, I am simply unhappy with my work. If others are as unhappy as I, I will discontinue. _

_P.S. Still need a Beta. _

_Love Ginger. _


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